This blog is meant to display my coins/currency notes/stamps, in an informative manner, which would be useful to users in knowing about the history of the period when these coins/banknotes/stamps were minted/printed and events/persons they honour/depict, both on Indian and foreign coins/banknotes/stamps. The content would be more in the nature of a walk down memory lane through my collection/articles.

Bosnia
and Herzegovina was first settled by humans in the Neolithic Age, followed by
Illyrian and Celtic civilizations. Later, it was settled by the Slavic people
from the 6th century AD onwards. The Slavs initially through small
settlements established the Banate of Bosnia (1154) and later the Kingdom of
Bosnia (1377).

The
Ottoman Empire annexed the area in 1463 and ruled these territories from the 15th
century to late 19th century AD, which brought a Muslim culture to
this Area. Later, these territories were ruled by the Austro-Hungarian dynasty
(from 1878) upto World War I. At this time, Bosnia was part of the Kingdom of
Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. After World War II, the country was granted full
Republic status in the Yugoslav Federation.

Upon
the dissolution of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, on 01.03.1992, the
country gained its Independence. There are three major ethnic groups - the
Bosniaks are the largest group followed by the Serbs and the Croats. This was
followed by the Bosnian War in 1995, which was primarily on ethnic lines.

Today
the country has a high literacy rate, life expectancy and education levels and
is renowned for its natural beauty and cultural heritage. It has a very good
tourism traffic which is expected to grow to the third highest growth rate in
the World by the end of this decade.

The Bosnia &
Herzegovina Convertible Mark:

The
Bosnia & Herzegovina Convertible Mark (or “maraka” in plural) is the currency of Bosnia & Herzegovina. It is
sub-divided into 100 fenings or “feninga”
(in plural). However, when the currency is mentioned in English, then ten “feningas” is incorrect as the last “a’
in feninga already is plural, but ten “fenings” is correct. Similarly, ten
Marks in English is correct, but not “ten marakas”
(which is already plural).

Between
1992 and 1998, upon Bosnia and Herzegovina gaining its independence from
Yugoslavia, the Bosnia and
Herzegovina Dinar was the currency of the independent country,
replacing the 1990 Series of the
Yugoslav Dinarat an exchange rate of 1 Bosnian dinar to 10 Yugoslav “1990 Dinara”.

Later,
the Bosnian Dinar was placed at par with the 1992 series of
the Yugoslav Dinar. The
initial issues of the Bosnian Dinara were simply overstamps on the Yugoslavian
Banknotes.

High
inflation led to the introduction of a second
Bosnian Dinar in 1994, which replaced the first Bosnian Dinar at an
exchange rate of 1 new Dinar to 10000
old Dinara. While this currency circulated in the areas under Bosnaik
control, a “Croatian dinar” and
“Kuna” circulated in the
territories under Croatian domination and the “Republika Sprska Dinar” circulated
in territories with Serbian predominance.

In
1995, owing to rampant inflation in the country, the Konvertible Mark was agreed upon,
under the Dayton Agreement to replace the existing currencies in circulation,
viz. the Bosnia and Herzegovina Dinar, Croatian Kuna and Republika Srpska Dinar
as the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Konvertible Mark was based on
the German Mark, a currency to which the KM was pegged to at par.

In
1998, the “Konvertibil Marka”
(Convertible Mark) , issued by the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, became
legal tender in all the territories of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation
and the Republika Srpska. The Konvertibil Marka was convertible into the
Deutsche Mark and upon Germany joining the European Union, was convertible into
the Euro.

In 2002, the Bosnian KM was fixed to
the Euro at the German Mark fixed exchange rate of 1 Euro to 1.95583 KM or BAM or
1 KM to 0.51129 Euro (the ISO 4217 code assigned to the Konvertibil Marka- KM).

The
Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina was set up on 20.06.1997. Its
primary function is to maintain monetary stability by issuing domestic currency
and establishing, supervision and implementation of monetary policy. Its Head
Office is located in Sarajevo, its main units are the Main Unit Sarejevo, the
Main Bank of Republika Srpska CBBH Banja Luka and Main Unit Mostar. Its two
branches are the CBBH Branch in Brcko and the Main Bank of Republika Srpska
CBBH Branch in Pale.

Since
1998, the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina issues Banknotes with
distinct designs for the Federation
of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika
Srpska which are legal tender throughout the country.

Coinage of Bosnia and
Herzegovina:

In
1998, in terms of the Dayton Agreement, coins were issued in the denominations
of 10, 20 and 50 fenings. The coins have all been issued by the Royal Mint,
London and released into circulation on 09.12.1998 except for the 5 fenings
coin which was put into circulation from 05.01.2006.

In
2000, 1 and 2 Maraka coins were circulated.

In
2005, 5 Fenings and 5 Maraka coins were minted/issued.

On
the obverse of the 5 Fenings coin is shown the map of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The name of the country is mentioned as “Bosna I Hercegovina” (meaning “Bosnia
and Herzegovina”) both in Latin and Cyrillic scripts. The denomination of the
coin “5” is mentioned as well as “feninga” (meaning “fenings”).

On
the reverse of the 5 Fenings coin is shown the Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
the name of the country “Bosna I Hercegovina”, and the year of minting.

On
the obverse of the 10 Fenings coin is shown the map of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The name of the country is mentioned as “Bosna I Hercegovina” (meaning “Bosnia
and Herzegovina”) in both Latin and Cyrillic scripts. The denomination of the
coin “10” is mentioned as well as “feninga” (meaning “fenings”).

On
the reverse of the 10 Fenings coin is shown the Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
the name of the country “Bosna I Hercegovina”, and the year of issue is
mentioned as “1998” on this coin. This is one of the first few coins issued
under this Series. This denomination was also minted in 2004.

On
the obverse of the 20 Fenings coin is shown the map of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The name of the country is mentioned as “Bosna I Hercegovina” (meaning “Bosnia
and Herzegovina”). The denomination of the coin “20” is mentioned as well as
“feninga” (meaning “fenings”).

On
the reverse of the 20 Fenings coin is shown the Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
the name of the country “Bosna I Hercegovina”, and the year of issue is
mentioned as “2004” on this coin. This is one of the last few coins minted
under this Series so far, in circulation. This denomination was first minted in
1998.

On
the obverse of the 50 Fenings coin is shown the map of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The name of the country is mentioned as “Bosna I Hercegovina” (meaning “Bosnia
and Herzegovina”). The denomination of the coin “50” is mentioned as well as
“feninga” (meaning “fenings”).

On
the reverse of the 50 Fenings coin is shown the Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
the name of the country “Bosna I Hercegovina”, and the year of issue is
mentioned as “1998” on this coin.

On
the obverse of the 1 Marka coin is shown the name
of the country mentioned as “Bosna I Hercegovina” (meaning “Bosnia and
Herzegovina”). The denomination of the coin “1 KM” is mentioned on this face. There
is an inverted triangle both on the top and bottom peripheries which are meant as
identification assists for the visually challenged persons.

On
the reverse of the 1 Markacoin is shown the Coat
of Arms/Emblem of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the name of the country
“Bosna I Hercegovina”, and the year of issue is mentioned as “2000” on this
coin. This denomination was also issued in 2003 and 2006.

On
the obverse of the 2 Maraka coin is shown the name
of the country mentioned as “Bosna I Hercegovina” (meaning “Bosnia and
Herzegovina”). The denomination of the coin “2 KM” is mentioned on this face.
There are two inverted triangles both on the top and bottom peripheries which are
meant as identification assists for the visually challenged persons.

On
the reverse of the 2 Marakacoin is shown the Dove
of peace, the name of the country “Bosna I Hercegovina”, and the year
of issue is mentioned as “2003” on this coin. This denomination was also issued
in 2000 and 2002.

On
the obverse of the 5 Maraka coin is shown the name
of the country mentioned as “Bosna I Hercegovina” (meaning “Bosnia and
Herzegovina”). The denomination of the coin “5 KM” is mentioned on this face.
There are five inverted triangles both on the top and bottom peripheries which are
meant as identification assists for the visually challenged persons.

On
the reverse of the 5 Marakacoin is shown the Dove
of peace, the name of the country “Bosna I Hercegovina”, and the year
of issue is mentioned as “2005” on this coin.

In
1998, Banknotes in the denominations of 50 fenings, 1 Marka, 5, 10, 20,
50 and 100 Marakas were circulated.

In
2002, 200 Maraka Banknotes were circulated.

On
31.03.2003, circulation of 50 Fenings Banknotes was withdrawn due to
inflation.

Recently withdrawn Currency/Banknotes:

On
31.03.2009, 1 Marka Banknotes
were withdrawn from circulation due to rampant inflation.

The
Front of the 1 Konvertibil
Marka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes showed the
portrait of writer Ivan Franjo Jukic.

(Ivan Franjo Jukic
(08.07.1818-20.05.1857):
He was a writer from Bosnia and Herzegovina
and wrote under the pseudonym “Slavoljub
Basnjak”. His life and cultural and political works have left an indelible
mark on the cultural history of Bosnia and Herzegovina and he is remembered as
one of the founders of Bosnian modernism. He advocated insurgencies against the
decadent Ottoman Empire for bringing about modernity, National liberation and
civic order. He was the Founder-editor
of the first literary magazine in Bosnia and Herzegovina called “Bosanski prijatelj” (Bosnian Friend). He
advocated religion-independent cultural identity and universal civic education,
not tied to any religious affiliation. In 1850, he put forward his famous “Zelje i molbe kristjanah u Bosni i
Hercegovini, koje ponizno prikazuju mjegovom velicanstvu sretnovladajucem
sultanu Abdul-Medzidu”, which was the first draft of a European inspired
civic constitution in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the
consideration of the government of the Ottoman Empire through which he demanded
that all residents of occupied territories of the Ottoman Empire be treated as
proper citizens and not as second class citizens).

The
Back of the 1 Marka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes showed a
fragment from the “Stecak Stolak”
(tombstone).

(A
brief about tombstones is placed at the end of this post).

Again,
on 31.03.2010, 5 Maraka Banknotes
were withdrawn from circulation, making the 10 Maraka Banknotes the
lowest denomination of Banknote, presently, in circulation.

The
Front of the Five MarakaBosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes showed the
portrait of writerMehmed “Mesa” Selimovic.

(Mehmed “Mesa” Selimovic (26.04.1910-11.07.1982):
was a Yugoslavian writer. His first novel “Dervis i smrt” (“Death and the Dervish”
is one of the most important literary works in post-World War II Yugoslavia.
Some of the main themes in his writings were the relations between
individuality and authority, life and death and existential issues. He was a
member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Academy of Sciences
and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His first book which was a collection of
short stories “Prva ceta” (The first
Company) was published in 1950. His other works include “Tisine” (Silences), “Tuda
zemlja” (Foreign Land), “Magla I mjesecina”
(Mist and Moonlight), “Tvrdava” (The
Fortress), “Ostrvo” (The Island), “Krug” (The Circle) and his autobiography
“Sjecanja” (Remembering).

The
Back of the Five MarakaBosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes.

(A
brief about tombstones is placed at the end of this post).

Presently circulating Currency/Banknotes:

Since
1998, the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina issues Banknotes with
distinct designs for the Federation
of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika
Srpska which are legal tender throughout the country.

The
issuer of all these Banknotes is “Centralna Banka Bosne I Hercegovine” (meaning
the “Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina”). The printer of these Banknotes
is Francois – Charles Oberhtur, Fiduciare Paris, except for the 200 Konvertibil
Banknotes which was printed by the Oestereichishe Banknoten und
Sicherheitsdruck GmBH (OeBS) in Vienna. These Banknotes honour important
contributors to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska’s historic and
cultural development as well as important heritage sites.

Banknotes issued for
Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation:

The
Front of the 10 Konvertibil
Maraka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes shows the
portrait of poet andwriter Mehmedalija Mak Dizdar. The
size of this Banknote is 130 mm x 65 mm. The colour of this Banknote is orange
and light grey. This Banknote was first issued on 22.06.1998 and later in 2008
and 2012.

(Mehmedalija Mak Dizdar
(17.10.1917-14.07.1971): was a Bosnian and Yugoslav poet. During World War
II, he supported the Communist partisans. After the war he became a prominent
personality in the cultural society of Bosnia and Herzegovina working as
Editor-in-Chief of the daily “Oslobodenje”
(meaning “Liberation”) and also served in prominent positions in State
sponsored publishing houses. He also held the position of President of the
Writer’s Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His two poetry collections and series
of long poems “Kameni spavac” (Stone
Sleeper) and Modra Rijeka (Blue river) are considered to be classics. His works
were influenced through several different religious thoughts including the
pre-Ottoman Bosnian Christian culture, the sayings of the heterodox Islamic
visionary mystics and the medieval Bosnian vernacular linguistic idiom).

The
Back of the 10 Konvertibil
Maraka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes shows a fragment
the “Radimlja
Tombstone”.

(A
brief about tombstones is placed at the end of this post).

The
Front of the 20 Konvertibil
Maraka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes shows the
portrait of writer Antun Branko Simic.
The size of this Banknote is 138 mm x 68 mm. The colour of this Banknote is
brown. This Banknote was first issued on 27.07.1998 and later in 2008 and 2012.

(Antun Branko Simic
(18.10.1898-02.05.1925): He was a writer and a poet. Starting his works
as a Traditionalist, he wrote with unrestrained expression and expressionist
spirit. His topics/poetry relates to mankind, pain, poverty, stars, his country
Herzegovina, the poor as well as life and death (as if he had a premonition
that he was “just passing by” on Earth. As he passed away at an early age of 26
years, he could not leave behind a large volume of literary work. Nevertheless,
some of his poems are anthological like “Pjesnici”
(Poets), “Vece I ja” (The evening and
I), “Opomena” (Warning), “Rucak siromaha” (The Poor Man’s Dinner),
“Zene pred uredima” (Women in front
offices), “Smrt I ja” (Death and I),
“Pjesma jednom brijegu” (Poem to a
Mountain), “Preobrazenja”
(metamorphosis) etc).

The
Back of the 20 Konvertibil
Maraka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes shows a fragment
the “Radimlja
Tombstone”.

(A
brief about tombstones is placed at the end of this post).

The
Front of the 50 Konvertibil
Maraka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes shows the
portrait of writer Musa Cazim Catic. The
size of this Banknote is 146 mm x 71 mm. The colour of this Banknote is violet
red and violet brown. This Banknote was first issued on 27.07.1998 and later in
2002, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2012.

(Musa Cazim Catic (12.03.1878-06.04.1915):
He was a prominent Bosniak poet of the Bosnian Renaissance. He poetically
experienced and imaginatively sublimated everything he came into contact with.
His poetry dwelt on eroticism as well as mysticism. He developed his own style,
representing a phase of advancement and development in modern Bosnian poetry,
which won him praise from several literary followers. Some of his popular works
are “Pjesme od godine”, “Izovrna poezija” and “izovorna I prevedena proza” etc).His
gravestone bears the following obituary “ Here lies a poet of excellent gift,
who did not seek honour nor profit but lived bohemian and sang grand, until
death escorted him to this grave”. Many schools in Bosnia are named after him).

The Back of the 50 Konvertibil
Maraka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes shows a theme
from the “Zgosca Tombstone”.

(A
brief about this tombstone is placed at the end of this post).

The
Front of the 100 Konvertibil
Maraka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes shows the
portrait of writer Nikola Sop. The
size of this Banknote is 154 mm x 74 mm. The colour of this Banknote is brown. This
Banknote was first issued on 27.07.1998 and later in 2002, 2007, 2008 and 2012.

The Back of the 100 Konvertibil
Maraka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes shows a theme
from the “Zgosca Tombstone”.

(A
brief about this tombstone is placed at the end of this post).

The
Front of the 200 Konvertibil
Maraka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes shows the
portrait of writer Ivo Andric. The
size of this Banknote is 156 mm x 76 mm. The colour of this Banknote is blue. This
Banknote was issued on 15.05.2002.

(Ivo Andric
(09.10.1892-13.03.1975): He was a Yugoslav
novelist, short story writer and he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961.
His writings dealt with mainly the life in Bosnia under the Ottoman Empire. He
lived in Visegrad on the river Drina in Eastern Bosnia, where he saw the 16th
century Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Bridge which became famous through his novel “Na Drini cuprija” (“The Bridge on the
Drina”). He started his literary career as a poet. He was one of the first
contributors to “Hrvatska mlada lirika”
(“Young Croatians Lyrics”). He became a career diplomat in the Kingdom of
Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In this capacity, he worked at the Hoy see,
consulates in Bucharest, Trieste and Graz, Paris and Marseilles, Madrid etc and
as Ambassador to Germany and returned at the outbreak of World War II. During
World War II, he penned his three famous novels (known as “the Bosnian
trilogy”) in Belgrade published in 1945 including “The Bridge on the Drina”,
“Bosnian Chronicle” and “The Woman from Sarejevo”. Later he held some posts in
the Communist Government and on winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961,
donated the prize money for the improvement of libraries in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. Some of his other interesting works were : “Ex Ponto”, “Unrest”,
“The Journey of Alija Derzelez”, “The Vizier’s Elephant”, The Damned Yard” etc.

The Back of the 200 Konvertibil
Maraka Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation Banknotes shows a theme of
the Bridge on the River Drina in
honour of Ivo Andric.

Only
one version of this Banknote was released which is unique for the entire
territories of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Banknotes issued for
Republika Srpska:

The
Front of the 10 Konvertibil
Maraka Republika Srpska Banknotes shows the portrait of poet Aleksa Santic. The size of
this Banknote is 130 mm x 65 mm. The colour of this Banknote is orange and
light gray. This Banknote was first issued on 22.06.1998 and later in 2008 and
2012.

(Aleksa Santic (27.05.1868-02.02.1924):
He was a Bosnian Serb Poet and Editor-in Chief of the review “Zora”. He was one of the founders of a
cultural newspaper “Dawn” as the President of the Serbian Singing society
“Gusle” (named after a musical instrument). He wrote six volumes of poetry
published from 1891 to 1913, some of which are very popular viz: Pod Maglom (In the Fog -1907), Hasan Aginica (1911) etc. He translated
several German works, including “Wilhelm
Tell”, (“William Tell” was also published as a Classic Illustrated Comic in
English, which I have in my collection of all-time Classics).

The Back of the 10 Konvertibil
Maraka Republika Srpska Banknotes shows a theme of a Loaf of Bread.

The
Front of the 20 Konvertibil
Maraka Republika Srpska Banknote shows the portrait of Folk Song Narrator Filip Visnjic (1765 –
1835). The size of this Banknote is 138 mm x 68 mm. The colour of this
Banknote is brown. This Banknote was first issued on 27.07.1998 and later in
2008 and 2012.

(Filip Visnjic (1765-1835): He
was a popular Serbian epic poet and “guslar”
(“gusle” player – Gusle is a musical instrument). to in his time and which
became a valued part of Serbian epic poetry. He is considered to be the best
ballad writer and singer of his time. Often described as the “Serbian Homer”,
because he was blind and for his poetic gift, he composed poems about historic
events of Serbian history which he was witness to. During the first Serbian
Uprising against the Ottoman Rule, not able to join the fight because of his
physical inability, he boosted the morale of his comrades by composing many
songs documenting the battles as epic chronicles. His poems also describe the
psychological portraits of the participants who went to battle the Turks. Some
of his works “Pocetak bune protiv dahija”
(The beginning of the Revolt against Dahijas), “Boj na Cokesini” (Battle of Cokesina) “Boj na Misaru” (Battle of Misar), “Knez Ivo Knezevic” et al are all time classics. Every year in
November, his home village Gornja Trnova hosts a cultural programme called “Visnjicevi dani” (Visnjic’s days) at a
site where his house once stood in which renowned writers, theoreticians and
poets eulogise his contributions in prose and in verse).

The Back of the 20 Konvertibil
Maraka Republika Srpska Banknotes shows a Gusle (a musical instrument) in honour of Filip Visnjic.

The
Front of the 50 Konvertibil
Maraka Republika Srpska Banknotes shows the portrait of writer Jovan Ducic. The size of
this Banknote is 146 mm x 71 mm. The colour of this Banknote is violet red and
violet brown. This Banknote was first issued on 27.07.1998 and later in 2002,
2007, 2008, 2009 and 2012.

(Jovan Ducic (17.02.1871-07.04.1943):
He was a Bosnian Serb poet, writer and diplomat. He founded a literary magazine
“Zora” (meaning “Dawn”) with writer Svetozar Corovic and poet Aleksa Santic. He
published his first book of poetry in Mostar in 1901 and his second in Belgrade
in 1912. He wrote prose as well with several essays and studies about writers,
“Blago cara Radovana” (“Tsar
Radovana’s treasure”) and poetry letters from foreign countries. He had a
distinguished diplomatic career as an Ambassador, serving in Istanbul, Sofia,
Rome, Athens, Cairo, Madrid and Lisbon. His Acta Diplomatica (Diplomatic
Letters was published posthumously. He has several popular writings and poems
to his credit).

The Back of the 50 Konvertibil
Maraka Republika Srpska Banknotes shows a theme of a pen, eyeglasses and book in honour of
Jovan Ducic.

The
Front of the 100 Konvertibil
Maraka Republika Srpska Banknotes shows the portrait of writer Petar Kocic. The size of
this Banknote is 154 mm x 74 mm. The colour of this Banknote is brown. This
Banknote was first issued on 27.07.1998 and later in 2002, 2007, 2008 and 2012.

(Petar Kocic (29.06.1877-27.08.1916):
He was a Bosnian Serb writer. Initially, he was a member of a Literary Circle
called the “Mlada Bosna” (Bosnian
Youth) and contributed to the first Bosnian literary cultural journal “Bosanska vila” (The Bosnian Muse).
Later, he founded a magazine “Otadzbina”
(Fatherland) and formed a political group which urged Bosnians to overthrow the
Austro-Hungarian occupation which made him an enemy of Austria. He even served
as an elected member of “Bosanski sabor”
(Bosnian Parliament in Sarejevo. He is regarded as one of the best story
tellers in Serbian literature. His literary works narrate about Krajina
snowstorms and hardships, evoke the dreams and achievements of Bosnian people,
despite the occupation of Ottoman Turks and later the Austrians and their
aspirations and struggles to be free/liberated people. Two popular collections
of tales are simply marvellous – “From the top and bottom of a mountain”,
“Howls from Zmijanje”, as well as his two short stories – “Badger on Tribunal”
and “Trials” which are satires on the political and social life of the Serbs in
Bosnia and Herzegovina).

The Back of the 100 Konvertibil
Maraka Republika Srpska Banknotes shows a theme of a pen, eyeglasses and book in honour of
Petar Kocic.

Flag of Bosnia and
Herzegovina:

Coat of Arms of Bosnia and
Herzegovina:

One
of the earliest Coat of Arms of Bosnia, the Fojnica Arms dates back to 1340.

The
above is an image of the Fojnica Coat of Arms.

The
above is an image of a gold coin of Tvrtko bearing the Fojnica arms. Tvrtko was
a prominent King of Bosnia from the Kotromanic Dynasty.

From 1992 to 1998,
the following Coat of Arms was displayed.

This
Coat of Arms used by Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1998, was similar to
that of the Kotromanic Dynasty who ruled Bosnia-Herzegovina and Dalmatia
from 1377 to 1463. This Coat consisted of a blue background divided diagonally
by a white line which symbolizes the sword of Tvrtko and his might as a ruler.
The blue shield also has six gold fleur
de lys (symbolizing “Lilium bosniacum”
– a variety of lilies found in Bosnia-Herzegovina) in a division of three each
on either side of the white line.

This
Coat of Arms came in for a lot of criticism from the Bosnian Serbs, as it
represented only the Bosniaks.

Accordingly,
on 18.08.1998 the following revised Coat of Arms was adopted by Bosnia
and Herzegovina.

This
Coat of Arms purported to represent the interests of all ethnicities at the
macro-level.

It
consists of the typical straight top, oval sides and spiked bottom. The Coat
has two background colours – dark blue and gold, both of which are taken from
the earlier Coat of Arms. The three pointed shield symbolizes the three major
ethnic groups of Bosnia. The top right hand corner forms a yellow triangle
symbolizing the shape of Bosnia and Herzegovina, representing the land, sky,
rivers and lakes and other natural resources.

The
six stars were adopted to replace the “fleur
de lys” of the earlier Arms. The present Coat does not directly relate with
Bosnian-Herzegovinian history.

The
Escutcheon (shield with
armorial bearings) is described as “per bend enhanced Or (gold or yellow in
heraldry) and azure (blue), a bend of mullets (stars) palewise argent (silver)”.

These
are monumental medieval tombstones found across Bosnia and Herzegovina and are
the country’s most legendary symbols. These are tombstones of people who lived
between the 11th and 15th centuries and did not have
allegiance to any kingdom but their own.

The
tombstone’s most remarkable feature is their decorative motifs, many of which
are still enigmatic. They depict knights in armour, hunters on a hunt, farmers
in fields, warriors competing in tournaments, rearing horses, dancers, ladies
in dresses, flowers, wolves, bears, wild boars, dogs etc. The ornaments show
the crescent moon, stars, cross and swastika. The images celebrate life, joy,
physical strength and merriment. Questions regarding the inevitability of death
appear on some of the inscriptions but are absent from the carved images. In
all, about 80 primary and 320 secondary motifs have been identified on about
7500 Stecci. There are around 69356 known Stecci in existence at 3162
locations.

The
Stecci are grouped in “Nekropola”
(“Necropolises”) located on hills overlooking the surrounding countryside.

The
Stecci stone slabs are sometimes as heavy as 30000 kilograms and vary in shape.
Sometimes they take the shape of a roofed sarcophagus, a high pillar, flat
slab, chest shaped as an elongated cube with flat surfaces or an irregularly
hewn monolith. They are about two metres long and one metre wide. The slates
are between 30 and 50 cm high and the sarcophagi and tombs are 1.5 metres in
height. The height of the pillars is between two to three metres.

The
most famous and decorated stecak is from Zgosca near Kakanj in Bosnia and
Herzegovina dating back to the 15th century AD. Since it has no engraved
writing and was immaculately decorated, it is believed that it is the tomb of
King Stjepan II Kotromanic and the Radimilja tombstones.

The
above is an obelisk at Kralja, placed near the tomb of Tvrtko who was a prominent
King of Bosnia from the Kotromanic Dynasty.

The
above are image of the designs on the Radimilja tombstones.

The
above are images of the designs on the Zgosca tombstones believed to be the
tomb of King Stjepan II Kotromanic.

The
above are images of Stecak motifs.

(The above coins and Banknotes are from the collection of Ajit George. Coins and Banknotes scanned and article researched and written by Rajeev Prasad).

About Me

I am Rajeev Prasad, a retired State Bank of India officer who had been collecting coins in a shoe box without having a serious interest. Only after quitting my job I got the time to take serious interest in developing my coin collection into a hobby. A pity, because I would have had more opportunity to lay my hands on more 'exclusive coins' while in the Bank. Anyway, as they say,better late than never. If you have any views to share with me regarding this blog , please contact me on my email rajeevprasad1208@gmail.com. I also have a twitter account @prasad_rajeev.
I had an opportunity to participate in a Documentary on the life and times of the 25 paise coin titled “Chal Basi Chavanni” (The four anna/twenty five paise coin passes away), aired by STAR NEWS on 29th and 30th June 2011. The programme helped in making many persons hold back onto their “chavannis”, the little round beauties, instead of returning them to Banks .